"I want to make him radioactive. Toxic. So that by the time he's bankrupt and broken, no one will lift a finger to help him." Konstantin takes a sip of his coffee. "And then we let him live with what he's lost."
It's vicious. Thorough. Everything I should have thought of myself.
"How long will it take?"
"Depends on how careful we need to be." He sets down his cup. "If we move too fast, people will get suspicious. If we move too slow, Troskoy might figure out what's happening and try to protect himself."
"So we need to find the sweet spot. Fast enough to hurt him, slow enough to avoid detection."
"Exactly." Konstantin moves around the counter, stops in front of my stool. "Which means you're going to need to stay close to me for a while."
My heart does something complicated in my chest. "Close how?"
"Close enough that if anyone asks, I can say you're under my protection." His hand finds my knee, warm through the fabricof his shirt. "Close enough that if Troskoy comes looking for answers about last night, I can make sure he doesn't find you."
"You want me to stay here. With you."
"I want you alive and safe while we dismantle his empire piece by piece." His eyes search mine. "Unless you'd rather do this alone."
I should. I've been alone for six years. I know how to disappear, how to protect myself.
But the thought of walking away from Konstantin, from this partnership, from the way he makes me feel alive again...
"I'll stay," I say quietly.
Relief flashes across his face, quickly hidden.
"Good. Then let's get to work. But first…"
His eyes lock onto mine, dark and hungry, and he leans in without a word, his breath warm against my skin. I grip the arms of the chair as his hands part my thighs wider, and then his mouth is on me, soft at first, teasing with the flat of his tongue.
A gasp escapes my lips, and I arch back against the chair, the laptop forgotten behind me. He licks slowly, deliberately, tracing circles around my clit that make my hips buck involuntarily.
It's intense, the way he devours me like he's starving, his fingers digging into my thighs to hold me in place. I thread my fingers through his hair pulling him closer, and lift my knee, resting my heel on the edge of the chair. He groans against me, the vibration sending sparks through my core.
He doesn't rush, building the pleasure layer by layer, his tongue flicking and lips sucking in ways that make my vision blur. I glance down, watching him between my legs, his broad shoulders flexing as he works me over, and it's the hottest thing I've ever seen. My body tenses, the pressure coiling tight in my belly, and I moan his name, urging him on.
He slides a finger inside me, then another, curling them just right while his mouth focuses on my clit, sucking harder now. The combination pushes me closer to the edge, my breaths coming in short, desperate pants. I rock against his face, chasing the release, and he meets every movement, his free hand sliding up to pinch my nipple beneath his shirt.
The orgasm hits me like a wave, crashing over me in shuddering pulses that leave me trembling in the chair. He doesn't stop, licking me through it, drawing out every last quiver until I'm boneless and gasping. Only then does he pull back, his lips glistening as he looks up at me with a satisfied smirk. I reach down, cupping his jaw, still catching my breath.
"That was..." I whisper, though my body hums with aftershocks. He stands, bending over me, and kissing me deeply, letting me taste myself on his tongue.
"Now we're ready," he murmurs against my lips, and I can't help but laugh softly as we turn back to the laptop together.
Konstantin
Watching Emilia work is mesmerizing.
She's set up my laptop at the small dining table, her fingers flying across the keyboard with a speed and precision that would put most hackers to shame.
I don't understand half of what she's doing. Code scrolls across the screens, incomprehensible strings of characters and commands that somehow make sense to her.
But I understand the result.
"Got it," she says, and there's fierce satisfaction in her voice. "First account drained. Thirty-seven million, redistributed across two hundred different micro-transactions to legitimate charities."
"He can't trace it?"
